How was John Carradine as Dracula ?

[Earth 2 Chris]

According to "The Vampire Book", Carradine played Dracula on screen more times than any other actor, except for Christopher Lee.

I liked Carradine in other things. His over-wrought stage theatrics worked for the weirdo characters he usually played. He was very effective in the Green Hornet episode as a Dracula-like killer. He even played the mortician in "The Shootist" and has a fun exchange with John Wayne, in his last movie.

Chris

[thunderbolt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYl_YzcJMKU

Enjoy the mellow stylings of John Carradine.

[PNGwynne]

I've enjoyed many Carradine performances--he really knew how to chew the scenery.

But he was given little to do as Drac--bland and boring. Lugosi in "A & C Meet Frank." was more compelling.

And I have to agree as stated above, that even miscast Chaney Jr. was better in "Son..." It's pretty well-written, imagine if Lugosi had done it.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Yeah, Lee was barely hospitable to Harker in the first film, just enough to get him in the door. But you could tell he was an evil SOB from the start!

Chris

[mightyquinn]

What was truly lacking from Carradine's Dracula was any vocal quality that would suggest he was from the character's homeland. Carradine sounded more like a broken down old man than a flamboyant vampire that had traveled the world in search of "fresh blood". And it didn't help that his dialogue was not well written. I found it particularly amusing that he would enter a doctor's mansion at 4 in the morning and wake him to a casual conversation about the living dead and asked to be walked to the lower levels of his home. Huh... common sense might tell you to RUN LIKE H*LL!

Could you imagine inviting Lee's Dracula in for a nightcap!! BLOODBATH!!!

[Earth 2 Chris]

I heard Caradine did a pretty decent Dracula on stage, and wore make up with a big droopy mustache to match the novel's description of Drac.

But his Universal work is pretty bland. He basically does nothing in HOF. Karloff pulls the stake out of him, and he's on screen for maybe 7 minutes, and the sun gets him when his coach crashses. Whoppity-do.

HOF and HOD would have been sure classics with Lugosi back as Drac. Like Brian said, they are mostly Wolfman movies (and for that they are worth watching of course) but even in HOD Dracula seems an afterthought.

Chris

[Goblin19]

Having just plowed through all the Universals with my sons, I can safely say that Carradine was woefully miscast, though I like him as an actor. I remember not liking him in the part when I rewatched these in my twenties and these viewings confirmed that.

[Godzilla]

I think the magician analogy is best for me. He's ok, but nothing special.

[MIB41]

What was truly lacking from Carradine's Dracula was any vocal quality that would suggest he was from the character's homeland. Carradine sounded more like a broken down old man than a flamboyant vampire that had traveled the world in search of "fresh blood". And it didn't help that his dialogue was not well written. I found it particularly amusing that he would enter a doctor's mansion at 4 in the morning and wake him to a casual conversation about the living dead and asked to be walked to the lower levels of his home. Huh... common sense might tell you to RUN LIKE H*LL!

[mightyquinn]

HOF would have been great without Dracula in it. Carradine had a pretty good vampire stare, but that's about it. Great performance by Karloff and loved Strange as the monster.

[palitoy]

The Wolfman storyline in both films was more compelling.

Yeah both those ralleys are pretty much Lon's movies although Karloff and Naish added a lot of flavor to the first one.

My favourite monster (Frankenstein) is pretty much a prop in both!

[Mikey]

He had no charm, presense or menace. He looked and acted like a child's birthday party magician. .

In the still photo's i've seen I can imagine that

[Bruce Banner]

I always liked John Carradine as Dracula. His gaunt appearance seemed to suit the character rather well.
And the piano scene in House of Dracula will always be one of my favourites.

[madmarva]

Carradine also played Dracula in House of Frankenstein, which followed Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman and preceded House of Dracula.

Carradine wasn't great or really even memorable in the part, but he did somewhat favor the description of Drac from the novel, but that's about it.

The Wolfman storyline in both films was more compelling. It was great to see Lugosi back as Dracula in Abbott and Costello Meets Frankenstein.

[palitoy]

from IMDB

Bela Lugosi was slated for the role of Dracula, but the film was dependent upon the presence of Boris Karloff being released from the stage tour of Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). Shooting was delayed, and John Carradine was cast instead of Lugosi, who had a prior engagement: ironically, playing Karloff's "Jonathan Brewster" role in another touring company of "Arsenic and Old Lace."

Carradine's Dracula never really did it for me.